Method, apparatus, and computer program product for identifying a service need via a promotional system

ABSTRACT

A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for identifying a service need via a promotional system, and offering the service need to a third party. Promotions may be offered via a promotional system for a consumer to purchase in exchange for a discounted product or service from a provider. Demand information, which may be collected based on promotions and/or other sources. A residual demand may be calculated based on the demand information and available inventory. The residual demand may be utilized to identify a service need. The service need may be identified in a geographic area having a similar demographic to a geographic area having an associated successful promotion. A service need may be provided to a third party or provider, and may indicate the need for a new business or expansion of a current business.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.application Ser. No. 13/804,403, filed Mar. 14, 2013, and titled,“METHOD, APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR IDENTIFYING ASERVICE NEED VIA A PROMOTIONAL SYSTEM,” the entire contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference.

The present application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/803,445, filed Mar. 14, 2013, titled “METHOD, APPARATUS, ANDCOMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR SALES PIPELINE AUTOMATION,” which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Various embodiments described herein are related to promotional systems,and particularly to a method and apparatus for identifying a serviceneed via a promotional system. Applicant has discovered problems withand related opportunities for determining and using demand informationfor a local area. Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation,Applicant has solved many of these identified problems by developing asolution that is embodied by the present invention, which is describedin detail below.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are therefore providedfor identifying a service need via a promotional system. A method isprovided for receiving demand information relating to one or morevirtual promotions, wherein the demand information is indicative of atleast a forecasted number of sales and an estimated revenue generated bythe forecasted number of sales, calculating a residual demand as afunction of the demand information and available inventory, the residualdemand comprising one or more virtual promotions and an associatedquantity of at least a portion of the one or more virtual promotionsthat is representative of a residual demand for a geographic area,identifying at least one service need, wherein the at least one serviceneed is derived from the demand information and the residual demand, theservice need indicative of a needed service in the geographic area, andproviding the service need to a third party.

In some embodiments, the method further includes generating one or morevirtual promotions for one or more combinations of a category orsub-category, location, and price range, calculating a probability thata particular user would buy a particular offer in a particular timeframe for at least a portion of the plurality of users and for each ofthe virtual offers, and determining the forecasted number of sales andthe estimated revenue for at least a portion of the one or more virtualpromotions as a function of at least the probability associated witheach of the one or more virtual offers.

The method may further include identifying a sample geographic area inwhich the service need is met, and identifying at least one targetgeographic area in which the service need is not met, the at least onetarget geographic area having a demographic similar to that of thesample geographic area. The demand information comprises at least one ofa category, subcategory, quantity, location information, and pricerange. The method may include calculating a provider suitability scorefor a provider, and identifying a target provider based on the providersuitability score.

In some embodiments, the method includes calculating an estimated changein sales for a provider, and identifying a target provider based on theestimated potential change in sales. The method may include receivingprovider information for providers in the target geographic area, andidentifying a target provider based on the provider information. In someembodiments, the method includes analyzing prior deal information, andidentifying a target provider based on the prior deal information. Insome embodiments, the method further includes receiving a providerquality score, and identifying a target provider based on the providerquality score. The method may include determining a need for a newbusiness based on the service, and notifying the third party system ofthe need for a new business. The method may include identifying theservice need based on a provider that offers a service associated withthe service need but cannot meet a current demand quantity.

An apparatus is provided, comprising at least one processor and at leastone memory including computer program code, the at least one memory andthe computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause thedevice to at least receive demand information relating to one or morevirtual promotions, wherein the demand information is indicative of atleast a forecasted number of sales and an estimated revenue generated bythe forecasted number of sales, calculate a residual demand as afunction of the demand information and available inventory, the residualdemand comprising one or more virtual promotions and an associatedquantity of at least a portion of the one or more virtual promotionsthat is representative of a residual demand for a geographic area,identify at least one service need, wherein the at least one serviceneed is derived from the demand information and the residual demand andis indicative of a needed service in the geographic area, and providethe service need to a third party.

A computer program product is provided, including at least onenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium havingcomputer-executable program code instructions stored therein, thecomputer-executable program code instructions comprising program codeinstructions to receive demand information relating to one or morevirtual promotions, wherein the demand information is indicative of atleast a forecasted number of sales and an estimated revenue generated bythe forecasted number of sales, calculate a residual demand as afunction of the demand information and available inventory, the residualdemand comprising one or more virtual promotions and an associatedquantity of at least a portion of the one or more virtual promotionsthat is representative of a residual demand for a geographic area,identify at least one service need, wherein the at least one serviceneed is derived from the demand information and the residual demand andis indicative of a needed service in the geographic area, and providethe service need to a third party.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary process for serviceneed identification;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating operations for identifying a serviceneed and providing a service need via a promotional system, according toan example embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating operations for identifying a serviceneed and providing a service need via a promotional system, according toan example embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating operations for identifying a serviceneed according to an example embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating operations for identifying a targetprovider according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows an example system in accordance with some exampleembodiments discussed herein; and

FIG. 7 shows a schematic block diagram of a promotional system inaccordance with some example embodiments discussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention now will be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some,but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, embodimentsof the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should notbe construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfyapplicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elementsthroughout.

As used herein, the terms “data,” “content,” “information” and similarterms may be used interchangeably to refer to data capable of beingcaptured, transmitted, received, displayed and/or stored in accordancewith various example embodiments. Thus, use of any such terms should notbe taken to limit the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Further, wherea computing device is described herein to receive data from anothercomputing device, it will be appreciated that the data may be receiveddirectly from the other computing device or may be received indirectlyvia one or more intermediary computing devices, such as, for example,one or more servers, relays, routers, network access points, basestations, and/or the like. Similarly, where a computing device isdescribed herein to send data to another computing device, it will beappreciated that the data may be sent directly to the another computingdevice or may be sent indirectly via one or more intermediary computingdevices, such as, for example, one or more servers, relays, routers,network access points, base stations, and/or the like.

The methods, systems and apparatuses described herein may enable apromotional system (e.g., a system that provides promotion and/ormarketing services on behalf of one or more providers that are offeringone or more instruments that are redeemable for goods, services,experiences and/or the like by a consumer) to identify a service need(e.g., a good, service or experience that is demanded in a given area)and provide the service need to a third party (e.g., a businessincubator, a franchise marketer, a business development corporation, aconsultant or the like) to enable the creation of a new provider (e.g.,a merchant, business owner, consigner, shopkeeper, tradesperson, vender,operator, entrepreneur, agent, dealer, organization or the like that isin the business of a providing a good, service or experience to aconsumer), or the addition of a good, service or experience by a currentprovider to address the service need. In this regard, as discussed ingreater detail below, the methods, systems, and computer programproducts discussed herein provide an opportunity for increased sales ofpromotions on the promotional system and/or expanded businessopportunities for the provider.

FIG. 1 is a block a diagram that illustrates an exemplary process forservice need identification. In general, the process 100 may forecast orotherwise determine a demand via the demand module 102. The demandillustrates and/or otherwise identifies the promotions that a consumer(e.g., a client, customer, purchaser, shopper, user or the like who maybe in the position to or does exchange value for one or more instrumentsunder the terms defined by the one or promotions) is willing to purchasein a local area, and may include descriptors such as category and/or subcategory of a good, service or experience, a price, a location, a timeand/or the like. In some examples, the forecasted demand may beindicative of demanded promotions in a geographic area, however in otherexamples the demand may be indicative of a demanded good, service orexperience in the local area irrespective of a promotion.

Example demand information may include an indication of a quantity ofinstruments that are demanded, (e.g., any type of gift card, tender,electronic certificate, medium of exchange, voucher, or the like thatembodies the terms of the promotion from which the instrument resultedand may be used toward at least a portion of the purchase, acquisition,procurement, consumption or the like of goods, services and/orexperiences), category or subcategory of the service, price or pricerange, location information (such as a geographic area the providerassociated with the promotion should be located in), and/or otherdemographic information relating to the demand for a promotion. Thedemographic information may additionally or alternatively include aforecasted number of sales of a virtual promotion, if implemented,and/or estimated revenue for the provider and/or promotional system.

In order to facilitate the forecasted demand, the demand module 102 isconfigured to generate one or more virtual promotions. Virtualpromotions are representative of one or more promotions that could beoffered in a local area. For example, $25 massages or $10 for $20 at alocal clothing store.

The virtual promotions may be analyzed to determine the probability thata particular consumer would purchase the particular virtual promotion.The demand module 102 may be configured to generate or otherwisedetermine the probability based on, for example, past purchase history,historic demand for similar offers, search engine results, surveyresults, current market trends and/or the like. Using the probabilities,a forecasted demand may be generated. Further discussion may be found inU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/411,502, filed Mar. 2, 2012, titled“RELEVANCE SYSTEM FOR CONSUMER DEALS,” which is incorporated byreference in its entirety.

In some example embodiments, the demand module 102 may adjust theforecasted demand based on factors, such as, but not limited toseasonality, economic conditions, holidays, weather and/or the like. Thedemand module 102 is configured to output a forecasted demand to thesupply ID module 104.

In some example embodiments, a supply identification (ID) module 104 isconfigured to ingest the forecasted demand, adjusted demand or acombination thereof. Using the forecasted demand, the supply ID module104 is further configured to reduce or otherwise further modify theforecasted demand based on current promotions in an inventory todetermine a residual demand (e.g., an unmet demand).

Using the residual demand, the supply ID module 104 is configured toassign each promotion defined by the residual demand to one or moreproviders in an instance in which the provider is able to provide thesame or similar goods, services and/or experiences as defined by theforecasted demand. In some examples, the one or more providers may bedetermined based on a global listing of providers stored in a providerdatabase. As such, to the extent the provider provides a good, serviceor experience that matches or is related to a demanded promotion, thedemanded offer may be assigned or otherwise linked to that provider.Each provider may therefore be assigned zero or more demanded promotionsas defined by the residual demand. As such, each demanded promotion maybe assigned to zero or more providers.

In an instance in which a demanded promotion can be assigned to aprovider in some example embodiments, the assignment module 106 isconfigured to receive a ranked list of providers. Using the ranked listof providers, the assignment module 106 may further be configured toassign the providers in the ranked list of providers to one or moresales resources (e.g., salesperson). The assignment module 106 may alsobe configured to re-prioritize and/or re-assign providers to salesresources according to a predetermined time period, such as daily,weekly or the like.

In some example embodiments, a demanded promotion may not be assigned toa provider, because there may not be a provider that is configured toprovide that service, whereas in other embodiments, a provider may existto provide the service but may not be interested in offering apromotion. In other examples, there may be unmet demand in a geographicarea and/or the like. As such, those demanded promotions may beidentified by the service need identification module 120.

In some examples, the service need identification module 120 mayidentify a particular service need, wherein the at least one serviceneed is derived from the demand information and the residual demand, andis indicative of a needed service in a geographic area. The service needidentification module 120 may subsequently provide the service need to athird party, suggest the expansion of a current provider based on theservice need and/or the like. Example operations performed by apromotional system to accomplish the identification and provision of aservice need are described in further detail below with respect to FIGS.2-5.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating operations for identifying a serviceneed and providing a service need via a promotional system, according toan example embodiment. As shown by operation 200, the promotional systemmay be configured for receiving demand information relating to one ormore virtual promotions, wherein the demand information is indicative ofat least a forecasted number of sales and an estimated revenue generatedby the forecasted number of sales. The demand information may becommunicated to the promotional system from a third party system.Additionally or alternatively, the demand information may be generatedon the promotional system, such as with demand module 102, throughanalysis of prior promotion sales, data regarding providerrelationships, and/or other data on or otherwise available to thepromotional system.

In some embodiments, a forecasted number of sales, which may or may notcorrelate to the quantity of available promotions, may be provided, suchas a given number of sales in a given time period, (e.g., 450instruments sold in one week). Additionally or alternatively, anestimated revenue for the promotional system) and/or estimated revenuefor a provider of the service may be indicated by the demandinformation. For example, an estimated revenue for the promotionalsystem may be $5 per sold instrument, or a total of $2,250 for the 450forecasted number of instrument sales. For a provider honoring thepromotion, an estimated revenue may be $15 per sold instrument, or atotal of $6,750 for the forecasted number of sales. The estimatedgenerated revenue for the provider may additionally include revenuegenerated from repeat consumers returning to the provider for servicesbeyond the initial service associated with the promotion. The demandinformation may be stored, for example, on the promotional system, suchas in a promotional database and/or other memory.

As shown by operation 210, the promotional system, such as with demandmodule 102, may be configured to calculate a residual demand as afunction of the demand information and available inventory, the residualdemand comprising one or more virtual promotions and an associatedquantity of at least a portion of the one or more virtual promotionsthat is representative of a residual demand for a geographic area. Insome embodiments, available inventory may be provided by the supply IDmodule 104, allowing the demand module 102 to calculate a residualdemand based on the demand information and available inventory. Thedemand module 102 may additionally calculate a quantity of instrumentsthat are not met or otherwise provided by the current inventory of thevirtual promotion that represents a residual demand for a particulargeographic area. For example, the demand module 102 may determine thatthere is residual demand for 500 instruments of a virtual promotion in aparticular geographic area.

Continuing to operation 220, the promotional system, such as withservice need identification module 120, may be configured to identify atleast one service need, wherein the at least one service need is derivedfrom the demand information and the residual demand and is indicative ofa needed service in the geographic area. As such, the promotional systemmay receive information, or inventory, regarding known providers in thegeographic area. Such information may be received from a third party, ormay be obtained from data stored internally to the promotional system,such as on the merchant database 116. If an analysis of the inventoryindicates the demand is not met, a service need may therefore begenerated. The service need identification module 120 may receiveinventory information of providers in the particular geographic area,and based upon the information, may identify a service need for thatarea.

In some embodiments, the service need identification module 120 mayidentify a service need by calculating a probability that a particularuser would buy a particular offer in a particular time frame for atleast a portion of the plurality of users and for each of the virtualoffers. As such, the service need identification module 120 maydetermine a forecasted number of sales and the estimated revenue for atleast a portion of the one or more virtual promotions as a function ofat least the probability associated with each of the one or more virtualoffers.

In some embodiments, the service need identification module 120 may beconfigured to identify a service need comprising a particular type orcategory of goods, and/or a specific product. In this regard, goods,products, and/or services currently offered by a third party and/orprovider may be analyzed to determine a new good, product, and/or thatmay help increase sales and/or revenue for the third party. As such,current goods, products, and/or services offered by a provider may bereceived from supply ID module 104, provider database 116, demand module102, and/or the like. For example, the service need identificationmodule 120 may receive information regarding a current menu at arestaurant, and identify a service need for the restaurant bydetermining that if the restaurant were to offer a kids' value meal, theoverall sales and/or revenue for the restaurant would increase. In someembodiments, the service need identification module 120 may provide anestimate of the increase in sales and/or revenue. As another example,the service need identification module 120 may determine that if aparticular provider offers a drink special, their food sales may alsoincrease.

Having identified the service need, the service need identificationmodule 120 may provide the service need or strategic informationrelating to the service need to a third party, as shown by operation230. In some embodiments, the service need may be a valuable piece ofintelligence for providers local to the area of need. The third partymay be an intermediary whose business is distributing such intelligenceto providers or other resources. In some embodiments, the third partymay represent the provider itself. Identification of a target provideris described in more detail with respect to FIG. 5. Regardless of thereceiving party type, the service need may be provided, and may indicateto the third party how a provider in the local area could meet theservice need. In some embodiments, the service need may be indicative ofa need for a new business and/or the service need may be indicative of aneed for current business expansion. In some embodiments, the serviceneed may comprise a specific product and/or product type that a providermay offer in order to increase sales or revenue.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating operations for identifying a serviceneed in a target geographic area based on a sample geographic area, viaa promotional system, according to an example embodiment. As shown byoperation 310, the promotional system may be configured, such as byservice need identification module 120, for identifying a samplegeographic area in which a promotion similar to a virtual promotion wassuccessfully offered. In this regard, a promotion similar to a virtualpromotion may include a promotion having the same or similar parametersto those of the virtual promotion. For example, consider a promotionincluding 500 instruments having a purchase price of $20, for $40 worthof Chinese takeout. The promotional system may identify anotherpromotion, in which 450 instruments were purchased for $15, worth $30 ofChinese takeout. The promotional system may determine that the promotionwas successful. Success may be measured by a the promotional system'srevenue, the provider's revenue, number of instruments sold, percentageof instruments sold compared to those offered, and/or any other dataregarding the promotion and made available to the promotional system.

In some embodiments, such as those in which the promotional systemidentifies a successful promotion similar to a demanded promotion, thepromotional system may identify a sample geographic area in which thesuccessful promotion was offered. In an example scenario, the successfulpromotion may have been offered to consumers in Town A, having apopulation of 180,000 and a mean family size of 2.8. Town A maytherefore represent the sample geographic area, and the population andfamily size may be considered a demographic characteristic of thegeographic area. The promotional system may therefore identify anothergeographic area having a similar demographic to Town A.

At operation 320, the promotional system may be configured, such as withthe service need identification module 120, for identifying at least onetarget geographic area having a demographic similar to that of thesample geographic area identified with respect to operation 310. Asimilar demographic may be defined as having one or more characteristicsin common, or within a particular range of one another. Examples of suchcharacteristics may include location type (e.g., city, suburban area),description of the associated population (race, age, household size,etc.), and/or the like. For example, a Town B having a population of190,000 and a mean family size of 2.6 may be identified as having asimilar demographic to that of Town A.

At operation 330, the promotional system may be configured, such as withthe service need identification module 120, for identifying at least oneservice need, wherein the at least one service need is derived from thedemand information and available inventory in the target geographicarea. As such, the promotional system may receive information, orinventory, regarding known providers in the geographic area. Suchinformation may be received from a third party, or may be obtained fromdata stored internally to the promotional system. If an analysis of theinventory indicates the demand is not met, a service need may thereforebe generated. Continuing with the example scenario, the promotionalsystem may receive inventory information of providers in Town B, andbased upon the information, the promotional system may determine noChinese takeout restaurants are present. A service need, indicating aneed for Chinese takeout in Town B, may therefore be identified.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of operations for identifying a service needaccording to an example embodiment. It will be appreciated that othermethods may be employed by the promotional system for identifying such aservice need. At operation 400, the promotional system may be configuredfor identifying a sample geographic area. As such, the promotionalsystem may receive information on successful businesses, from a thirdparty system, for example, a data store of the promotional systemitself, and/or another source. In some embodiments, the promotionalsystem may utilize promotion transaction history, current or priorpromotions, and/or provider information to identify providers, services,and/or types of service that have succeeded in the past. Success may bemeasured by a the promotional system's revenue, the provider's revenue,number of instruments sold, percentage of instruments sold compared tothose offered, and/or any other data regarding the promotion and madeavailable to the promotional system. The geographic area associated withthe provider, service, and/or service type may be a city, county, orother jurisdiction, or it may be a more general geographic region, suchas the east coast.

At operation 410, the promotional system may be configured to identifyat least one demographic similar to that of the sample geographic area.Information on the demographics of various geographic areas may bereceived from a third party system or retrieved internally to thepromotional system, as described above with respect to operation 320.

Continuing to operation 420, the promotional system may be configured toidentify a service need based on a provider that offers the same orsimilar service associated with the service need but cannot meet acurrent demand. For example, a Chinese takeout restaurant in aparticular city may be able to honor redemptions associated with thesale of 400 instruments offering $40 worth of Chinese takeout for $20.However, if demand information indicates a demand for 500 instrumentsfor $40 worth of Chinese takeout for $20, a service need may beidentified. In some embodiments, the service need may be identified byanalyzing sales history of promotions. For example, if a promotion has afast sellout rate, and/or higher sales than expected, a service need maybe identified because the promotional system may consider the fastsellout as not meeting the current demand. As such, following theidentification of the service need, such a service need may be providedto a third party and/or the provider (e.g., the existing Chinese takeoutrestaurant). The service need may be valuable to another party, as theintelligence (e.g., the service need) may indicate a high likelihood ofsuccess for the provider if the provider is able to expand theirbusiness to meet the higher demand.

At operation 430, the promotional system may be configured to identify aservice need based on a provider that offers a service related to theservice associated with the service need but cannot meet a currentdemand. For example, based on example demand information relating to avirtual promotional and/or a demand for Pilates classes, the promotionalsystem may identify a service need in a geographic area, based oninformation indicating that a Yoga studio is present, but not a Pilatesstudio. The promotional system may identify the Yoga studio as offeringa service related to Pilates. The intelligence (e.g., the service need)may therefore be valuable to the Yoga studio, as the Yoga studio mayconsider offering Pilates classes if the Yoga studio becomesknowledgeable of a demand for Pilates classes.

Continuing to operation 440, the promotional system may be configured todetermine a need for a new business based on the service need. In theabove example embodiment, a need for a new business offering Pilatesclasses may be identified. In another example embodiment, there may beno related service present in a particular geographic area, but thepromotional system may identify a service need, and a need for a newbusiness. The service need and/or need for a new business may, in someembodiments, be provided to a third party. The third party may, in turn,provide the service need and/or need for a new business toentrepreneurs, investors, and/or the like, who may find the informationvaluable in a pursuit to open a new business. As such, in someembodiments, the promotional system may receive compensation in exchangefor providing a service need to a third party or provider.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating operations for identifying a targetprovider according to some example embodiments. As shown by operation500, the promotional system may be configured to calculate a providersuitability score for a provider. The score may provide an indicationfor how well the provider may be able to fulfill a service need, and maybe based on any number of conditions. For example, a provider that haspartnered with the promotional systems in the past, and had successfulpromotion sales may receive a high suitability score. Location and/orproximity of the provider may also be factored into a suitability score.Additionally or alternatively, any number of outcomes of operations510-530, described below, may be accounted for in a suitability score,and in some embodiments, various factors may be weighted differently. Insome embodiments, a listing of providers may therefore be scored, and aprovider having a high or highest suitability score may be identified asa target provider, and provided with the service need, as described withrespect to operation 340 above.

Continuing to operation 510, the promotional system may be configured tocalculate an estimated change in sales for a provider based on theservice need. The promotional system may therefore project salesstatistics following offering of a promotion. The calculation mayinclude factors such as retention of new customers brought in as aresult of a promotion, and any repeat business obtained because of thepromotion. Sales resulting from the promotion itself may also oralternatively be considered in the calculation. The estimated sales mayadditionally or alternatively indicate sales of the promotioninstruments and/or generated revenue for the promotional system.Providers with a relatively high estimated change in sales may thereforebe identified as a target provider. In some embodiments, the identifiedtarget provider may be provided with the service need, as described withrespect to operation 340 above.

As shown by operation 520, the promotional system may be configured toanalyze prior promotion information. Providers found to have offeredpromotions in the past may be identified as target providers due to apresumed likelihood of offering additional promotions, and/or expandingtheir businesses to provided additional services. In particular, thepromotional system may target providers identified as having popularand/or successful promotions in the past. Based on the prior promotioninformation, a target provider may be identified and provided with theservice need, as described with respect to operation 340 above. Thetarget provider may therefore use the service need to expand theirbusiness, and/or to offer a new promotion.

Continuing to operation 530, the promotional system, such as with thesupply ID module 104, may be configured to receive a provider qualityscore. The provider quality score may be provided by a third partysystem, for example, and may serve as an indicator of the quality orlikability of a particular provider. In this regard, the providerquality score may not necessarily be based on promotion information, butmay in some embodiments be based on other data relating to the provider,such as reviews provided on a website, and/or feedback collected fromsocial media sites. Additionally or alternatively, the promotionalsystem may generate and/or maintain provider quality scores. Thepromotional system may therefore determine that a provider may offer asuccessful promotion, based on the quality score of the provider. Assuch, a provider with a relatively high provider quality score may beidentified as a target provider to which to provide a service need.

Continuing to operation 540, the promotional system, such as withservice need identification module 120, may be configured to generate acommunication to the provider, providing the service need informationand the opportunity to contract to offer a promotion. In someembodiments, following receipt of the service need, a provider maychoose to partner with a promotional system associated with thepromotional system in offering a promotion that meets the service need.In some example scenarios, offering of the promotion may involve anexpansion of a current business, such as a Japanese restaurant expandingtheir services to offer takeout Chinese food. In some scenarios,offering of the promotion may involve opening of a new business by theprovider. For example, a Chinese restaurant may receive informationregarding a service need for a similar restaurant in a different area,and the restaurant may opt to open an additional location on the otherside of town, for example. In some embodiments, the offering of thepromotion may involve offering a service already provided by theprovider that may not otherwise be successfully promoted without theassistance of the promotional system.

The operations of FIG. 5 are provided as example operations performed bythe promotional system to identify a target provider. It will beappreciated that other methods may be utilized by the promotional systemin targeting a provider.

FIG. 6 shows system 600 including an example network architecture for aretailing system, which may include one or more devices and sub-systemsthat are configured to implement some embodiments discussed herein. Forexample, system 600 may include promotional system 602, which caninclude, for example, promotional server 604, promotional database 606,and provider database 116, among other things (not shown).

Promotional server 604 can be any suitable network server and/or othertype of processing device, configured to manage operations of thepromotional system and process data received from the promotionaldatabase 606 and/or provider database 116. The promotional server 604may additionally or alternatively process incoming data to thepromotional system 602. Promotional database 606 may be any suitablenetwork database configured to store data regarding promotions andpromotion transaction history, such as that discussed herein. Providerdatabase 116 may be any suitable network database configured to storedata regarding providers currently associated with promotions offered onthe promotional system, and/or providers not yet associated with apromotion or the promotional system. In some embodiments, the providerdatabase 116 may be configured to receive provider information from athird party system 612, or provider device 620. In some embodiments, theprovider database 116 may be implemented on the same device as thepromotional database 606. In this regard, promotional system 602 mayinclude, for example, at least one backend data server, networkdatabase, cloud computing device, among other things.

Promotional system 602 may be coupled to one or more provider devices620A-620N via network 410. In this regard, network 410 may include anywired or wireless communication network including, for example, a wiredor wireless local area network (LAN), personal area network (PAN),metropolitan area network (MAN), wide area network (WAN), or the like,as well as any hardware, software and/or firmware required to implementit (such as, e.g., network routers, etc.). For example, network 410 mayinclude a cellular telephone, an 802.11, 802.16, 802.20, and/or WiMaxnetwork. Further, the network 410 may include a public network, such asthe Internet, a private network, such as an intranet, or combinationsthereof, and may utilize a variety of networking protocols now availableor later developed including, such as, but not limited to, TCP/IP basednetworking protocols.

Provider devices 620A-620N may be implemented as a personal computerand/or other networked device, such as a cellular phone, tabletcomputer, mobile device, etc., that may be used to access promotionalsystem 602 in order to receive information regarding a service need, orto engage in an agreement with a promotional system to offer a promotionfor sale, for example. In some embodiments, information regarding aprovider may be transmitted from a provider device 620 to thepromotional system 602. The depiction in FIG. 6 of “N” provider devicesis merely for illustration purposes.

Promotional system 602 may be configured to communicate with one or moreconsumer devices 618 via network 410. Consumer devices 618 may each beimplemented as a personal computer and/or other networked device, suchas a cellular phone, tablet computer, mobile device, etc., that may beused for accessing promotional system 602 in order to view and/orpurchase promotions.

System 600 may also include at least one third party system 612, such asa credit card payment processing system, a social networking site,and/or a data collection system, among other things. In some embodimentsthe third party system 612 may provide provider information topromotional system 602. The third party system 612 may, in someembodiments, act as a provider of marketing data, which the promotionalsystem 602 may utilize to identify target geographic areas and/orproviders. In some embodiments, the promotional system may transmitservice needs to a third party system 612, and the third party system612 may proceed with an analysis in determining a further recipient ofthe service need.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic block diagram of promotional system 602. Asillustrated in FIG. 7, in accordance with some example embodiments,promotional system 602 may include various means, such as one or moreprocessors 702, memories 704, communications modules 706, and/orinput/output modules 708. In some embodiments a service needidentification module 120 may be included. As referred to herein, theterm “module” includes hardware, software and/or firmware configured toperform one or more particular functions. In this regard, promotionalsystem 602 as described herein may be embodied as, for example,circuitry, hardware elements (e.g., a suitably programmed processor,combinational logic circuit, and/or the like), a computer programproduct comprising computer-readable program instructions stored on anon-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., memory 704) that isexecutable by a suitably configured processing device (e.g., processor702), or some combination thereof.

Processor 702 may, for example, be embodied as various means includingone or more microprocessors with accompanying digital signalprocessor(s), one or more processor(s) without an accompanying digitalsignal processor, one or more coprocessors, one or more multi-coreprocessors, one or more controllers, processing circuitry, one or morecomputers, various other processing elements including integratedcircuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integratedcircuit) or FPGA (field programmable gate array), or some combinationthereof. Accordingly, although illustrated in FIG. 7 as a singleprocessor, in some embodiments, processor 702 comprises a plurality ofprocessors. The plurality of processors may be embodied on a singlecomputing device or may be distributed across a plurality of computingdevices collectively configured to function as promotional system 602.The plurality of processors may be in operative communication with eachother and may be collectively configured to perform one or morefunctionalities of promotional system 602 as described herein. In anexample embodiment, processor 702 is configured to execute instructionsstored in memory 704 or otherwise accessible to processor 702. Theseinstructions, when executed by processor 702, may cause promotionalsystem 602 to perform one or more of the functionalities of promotionalsystem 602 as described herein.

Whether configured by hardware, firmware/software methods, or by acombination thereof, processor 702 may comprise an entity capable ofperforming operations according to embodiments of the present inventionwhile configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when processor 702 isembodied as an ASIC, FPGA or the like, processor 702 may comprisespecifically configured hardware for conducting one or more operationsdescribed herein. As another example, when processor 702 is embodied asan executor of instructions, such as may be stored in memory 704, theinstructions may specifically configure processor 702 to perform one ormore operations described herein, such as those discussed in connectionwith FIGS. 1-3.

Memory 704 may comprise, for example, volatile memory, non-volatilememory, or some combination thereof. Although illustrated in FIG. 7 as asingle memory, memory 704 may comprise a plurality of memory components.The plurality of memory components may be embodied on a single computingdevice or distributed across a plurality of computing devices. Invarious embodiments, memory 704 may comprise, for example, a hard disk,random access memory, cache memory, flash memory, a compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc read only memory (DVD-ROM),an optical disc, circuitry configured to store information, or somecombination thereof. In some embodiments, memory 704 may comprisepromotional database 606 and/or provider database 116. Memory 704 may beconfigured to store information, data (including user profileinformation, transaction history, promotion information, and/oranalytics data), applications, instructions, or the like for enablingpromotional system 602 to carry out various functions in accordance withexample embodiments of the present invention. For example, in at leastsome embodiments, memory 704 is configured to buffer input data forprocessing by processor 702. Additionally or alternatively, memory 704may be configured to store program instructions for execution byprocessor 702. Memory 704 may store information in the form of staticand/or dynamic information. This stored information may be stored and/orused by promotional system 602 during the course of performing itsfunctionalities.

Communications module 706 may be embodied as any device or meansembodied in circuitry, hardware, a computer program product comprisingcomputer readable program instructions stored on a computer readablemedium (e.g., memory 704) and executed by a processing device (e.g.,processor 702), or a combination thereof that is configured to receiveand/or transmit data from/to another device, such as, for example, asecond promotional system 602 and/or the like. In some embodiments,communications module 706 (like other components discussed herein) canbe at least partially embodied as or otherwise controlled by processor702. In this regard, communications module 706 may be in communicationwith processor 702, such as via a bus. Communications module 706 mayinclude, for example, an antenna, a transmitter, a receiver, atransceiver, network interface card and/or supporting hardware and/orfirmware/software for enabling communications with another computingdevice. Communications module 706 may be configured to receive and/ortransmit any data that may be stored by memory 704 using any protocolthat may be used for communications between computing devices.Communications module 706 may additionally or alternatively be incommunication with the memory 704, input/output module 708 and/or anyother component of promotional system 602, such as via a bus.

Input/output module 708 may be in communication with processor 702 toreceive an indication of a user input and/or to provide an audible,visual, mechanical, or other output to a user (e.g., provider and/orconsumer). As such, input/output module 708 may include support, forexample, for a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a display, a touch screendisplay, a microphone, a speaker, a RFID reader, barcode reader,biometric scanner, and/or other input/output mechanisms. In embodimentswherein promotional system 602 is embodied as a server or database,aspects of input/output module 708 may be reduced as compared toembodiments where promotional system 602 is implemented as an end-usermachine (e.g., consumer device and/or provider device) or other type ofdevice designed for complex user interactions. In some embodiments (likeother components discussed herein), input/output module 708 may even beeliminated from promotional system 602. Alternatively, such as inembodiments wherein promotional system 602 is embodied as a server ordatabase, at least some aspects of input/output module 708 may beembodied on an apparatus used by a user that is in communication withpromotional system 602, such as for example, provider device 620.Input/output module 708 may be in communication with the memory 704,communications module 706, and/or any other component(s), such as via abus. Although more than one input/output module and/or other componentcan be included in promotional system 602, only one is shown in FIG. 7to avoid overcomplicating the drawing (like the other componentsdiscussed herein).

Service need identification module 120 may provide functionality relatedto identifying a service need to provide to a provider, as describedherein. In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality foridentifying a service need to provide to a provider may be performed byprocessor 702. In this regard, the example processes discussed hereincan be performed by at least one processor 702 and/or service needidentification module 120. For example, non-transitory computer readablestorage media can be configured to store firmware, one or moreapplication programs, and/or other software, which include instructionsand other computer-readable program code portions that can be executedto control each processor (e.g., processor 702 and/or service needidentification module 120) of the components of system 600 to implementvarious operations, including the examples shown below. As such, aseries of computer-readable program code portions are embodied in one ormore computer program products and can be used, with a computing device,server, and/or other programmable apparatus, to producemachine-implemented processes.

As will be appreciated, any such computer program instructions and/orother type of code may be loaded onto a computer, processor or otherprogrammable apparatus circuitry to produce a machine, such that thecomputer, processor, or other programmable circuitry that executes thecode on the machine creates the means for implementing variousfunctions, including those described herein.

It is also noted that all or some of the information presented by theexample displays discussed herein can be based on data that is received,generated and/or maintained by one or more components of system 600. Insome embodiments, one or more external systems (such as a remote cloudcomputing and/or data storage system) may also be leveraged to provideat least some of the functionality discussed herein.

As described above and as will be appreciated based on this disclosure,embodiments of the present invention may be configured as methods,mobile devices, backend network devices, and the like. Accordingly,embodiments may comprise various means including entirely of hardware orany combination of software and hardware. Furthermore, embodiments maytake the form of a computer program product on at least onenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readableprogram instructions (e.g., computer software) embodied in the storagemedium. Any suitable computer-readable storage medium may be utilizedincluding non-transitory hard disks, CD-ROMs, flash memory, opticalstorage devices, or magnetic storage devices.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described above withreference to block diagrams and flowchart illustrations of methods,apparatuses, systems and computer program products. It will beunderstood that each block of the circuit diagrams and processflowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the circuit diagrams andprocess flowcharts, respectively, can be implemented by various meansincluding computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions may be loaded onto a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, suchas processor 702 and/or service need identification module 120 discussedabove with reference to FIG. 7, to produce a machine, such that thecomputer program product includes the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable data processing apparatus create a meansfor implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block orblocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable storage medium (e.g., memory 704) that can direct acomputer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function ina particular manner, such that the instructions stored in thecomputer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufactureincluding computer-readable instructions for implementing the functiondiscussed herein. The computer program instructions may also be loadedonto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process suchthat the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions discussed herein.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrationssupport combinations of means for performing the specified functions,combinations of steps for performing the specified functions and programinstruction means for performing the specified functions. It will alsobe understood that each block of the circuit diagrams and processflowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the circuit diagrams andprocess flowcharts, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedcomputer systems that perform the specified functions or steps, orcombinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theseembodiments of the invention pertain having the benefit of the teachingspresented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings.Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the inventionare not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and thatmodifications and other embodiments are intended to be included withinthe scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employedherein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation.

That which is claimed:
 1. A method comprising: accessing, on apromotional server, demand information relating to one or more virtualpromotions associated with a sample geographic area, wherein the demandinformation is indicative of at least a forecasted number of sales ofthe virtual promotions, and is calculated as a function of availableinventory of offers related to the one or more virtual promotions; bythe promotional server, identifying a target geographic area having asimilar demographic to that of the sample geographic area, wherein thesimilar demographic is determined based on a common or overlappingdemographic characteristic; with a supply identification module of thepromotional server, calculating a residual demand representative ofunmet demand from the demand information for the target geographic areaas a function of a forecasted demand reduced by a number of currentpromotions of an available inventory; with a service need identificationmodule of the promotional server, identifying at least one service need,wherein the at least one service need is derived from the demandinformation and the residual demand and is indicative of a neededservice in the target geographic area; by the promotional server,identifying potential providers associated with the target geographicarea; by the promotional server, identifying a target provider from therespective potential providers associated with the target geographicarea, wherein the identified target provider is characterized bysimilarities with another provider that offers a same or similar serviceassociated with the service need but that does not meet the residualdemand; by the promotional server, generating and storing on memory atleast one virtual promotion suggested to be offered for purchase byconsumers and for redemption in the target geographic area, wherein theat least one virtual promotion comprises at least (a) a category ofservice based on the service need, (b) a quantity of instruments of thevirtual promotion to be offered, and (c) a purchase price range perinstrument of the virtual promotion, based on at least the demandinformation; by the promotional server, transmitting data indicative ofthe target provider and the virtual promotion to an assignment moduleconfigured to assign a sales resource affiliated with the promotionalserver to the target provider and the virtual promotion; and from thepromotional server, transmitting the service need and the virtualpromotion over a network to a provider device associated with the targetprovider to enable the target provider to engage in an agreement tooffer the virtual promotion with use of the provider device.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising: by the promotionalserver, calculating a probability that a particular user would buy aparticular promotion in a particular time frame; and by the promotionalserver, determining the forecasted number of sales and an estimatedrevenue for at least a portion of the one or more virtual promotions asa function of at least the probability associated with the at least onevirtual promotion.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein thedemand information comprises at least one of a category, subcategory,quantity, location information, and price range.
 4. The method accordingto claim 1, further comprising: by the promotional server, calculatingan estimated change in sales for respective potential providers; andcalculating a suitability score for each of the potential providersbased on the estimated potential change in sales, wherein the targetprovider is further identified based on the suitability scores.
 5. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising: by the promotionalserver, analyzing prior promotion information by measuring success bycalculating at least one of revenue or instruments sold, wherein thetarget provider is identified further based a similarity of the targetprovider and the prior promotion information.
 6. The method according toclaim 1, further comprising: by the promotional server, receiving aprovider quality score from at least one of review or feedbackinformation from a social media website, wherein the target provider isfurther identified based on the provider quality score.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising: by the promotional server,determining a need for a new business based on the service need; and bythe promotional server, notifying a third party system of the need for anew business.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the serviceneed is further based on a provider that offers a service associatedwith the service need but cannot meet a current demand quantity.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the target provider is located in a locationdifferent than the target geographic area, and the virtual promotion isassociated with a new proposed location to be opened by the targetprovider in the target geographic area.
 10. A server at least oneprocessor and at least one memory including computer program code, theat least one memory and the computer program code configured to, withthe processor, cause the server to at least: access demand informationrelating to one or more virtual promotions associated with a samplegeographic area, wherein the demand information is indicative of atleast a forecasted number of sales of the virtual promotions, and iscalculated as a function of available inventory of offers related to theone or more virtual promotions; identify a target geographic area havinga similar demographic to that of the sample geographic area, wherein thesimilar demographic is determined based on a common or overlappingdemographic characteristic; with a supply identification module,calculate a residual demand representative of unmet demand from thedemand information for the target geographic area as a function of aforecasted demand reduced by a number of current promotions of anavailable inventory; with a service need identification module, identifyat least one service need, wherein the at least one service need isderived from the demand information and the residual demand and isindicative of a needed service in the target geographic area; identifypotential providers associated with the target geographic area; identifya target provider from the respective potential providers associatedwith the target geographic area, wherein the identified target provideris characterized by similarities with another provider that offers asame or similar service associated with the service need but that doesnot meet the residual demand; generate and store, on the at least onememory, at least one virtual promotion suggested to be offered forpurchase by consumers and for redemption in the target geographic area,wherein the at least one virtual promotion comprises at least (a) acategory of service based on the service need, (b) a quantity ofinstruments of the virtual promotion to be offered, and (c) a purchaseprice range per instrument of the virtual promotion, based on at leastthe demand information; transmit data indicative of the target providerand the virtual promotion to an assignment module configured to assign asales resource to the target provider and the virtual promotion; andtransmit the service need and the virtual promotion over a network to aprovider device associated with the target provider to enable the targetprovider to engage in an agreement to offer the virtual promotion withuse of the provider device.
 11. The server according to claim 10,wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code arefurther configured to cause the server to at least: calculate aprobability that a particular user would buy a particular promotion in aparticular time frame; and determine the forecasted number of sales andan estimated revenue for at least a portion of the one or more virtualpromotions as a function of at least the probability associated with theat least one virtual promotion.
 12. The server according to claim 10,wherein the demand information comprises at least one of a category,subcategory, quantity, location information, and price range.
 13. Theserver according to claim 10, wherein the at least one memory and thecomputer program code are further configured to cause the server to atleast: calculate an estimated change in sales for respective potentialproviders; and calculate a suitability score for each of the potentialproviders based on the estimated potential change in sales, wherein thetarget provider is further identified based on the suitability scores.14. The server according to claim 10, wherein the at least one memoryand the computer program code are further configured to cause the serverto at least: analyze prior promotion information by measuring success bycalculating at least one of revenue or instruments sold, wherein thetarget provider is identified further based a similarity of the targetprovider and the prior promotion information.
 15. The server accordingto claim 10, wherein the at least one memory and the computer programcode are further configured to cause the server to at least: receive aprovider quality score from at least one of review or feedbackinformation from a social media website, wherein the target provider isfurther identified based on the provider quality score.
 16. The serveraccording to claim 10, wherein the at least one memory and the computerprogram code are further configured to cause the server to at least:determine a need for a new business based on the service need; andnotify a third party system of the need for a new business.
 17. Theserver according to claim 10, wherein identifying the service need isfurther based on a provider that offers a service associated with theservice need but cannot meet a current demand quantity.
 18. The serveraccording to claim 10, wherein the target provider is located in alocation different than the target geographic area, and the virtualpromotion is associated with a new proposed location to be opened by thetarget provider in the target geographic area.
 19. A computer programproduct comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium having computer-executable program code instructions storedtherein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprisingprogram code instructions to: access, on a promotional server, demandinformation relating to one or more virtual promotions associated with asample geographic area, wherein the demand information is indicative ofat least a forecasted number of sales of the virtual promotions, and iscalculated as a function of available inventory of offers related to theone or more virtual promotions; by the promotional server, identify atarget geographic area having a similar demographic to that of thesample geographic area, wherein the similar demographic is determinedbased on a common or overlapping demographic characteristic; with asupply identification module of the promotional server, calculate aresidual demand representative of unmet demand from the demandinformation for the target geographic area as a function of a forecasteddemand reduced by a number of current promotions of an availableinventory; with a service need identification module of the promotionalserver, identify at least one service need, wherein the at least oneservice need is derived from the demand information and the residualdemand and is indicative of a needed service in the target geographicarea; by the promotional server, identify potential providers associatedwith the target geographic area; by the promotional server, identify atarget provider from the respective potential providers associated withthe target geographic area, wherein the identified target provider ischaracterized by similarities with another provider that offers a sameor similar service associated with the service need but that does notmeet the residual demand; by the promotional server, generate and storeon memory at least one virtual promotion suggested to be offered forpurchase by consumers and for redemption in the target geographic area,wherein the at least one virtual promotion comprises at least (a) acategory of service based on the service need, (b) a quantity ofinstruments of the virtual promotion to be offered, and (c) a purchaseprice range per instrument of the virtual promotion, based on at leastthe demand information; by the promotional server, transmit dataindicative of the target provider and the virtual promotion to anassignment module configured to assign a sales resource affiliated withthe promotional server to the target provider and the virtual promotion;and from the promotional server, transmit the service need and thevirtual promotion over a network to a provider device associated withthe target provider to enable the target provider to engage in anagreement to offer the virtual promotion with use of the providerdevice.
 20. The computer program product according to claim 19, whereinthe computer-executable program code instructions further compriseprogram code instructions to: by the promotional server, determine aneed for a new business based on the service need; and by thepromotional server, notify a third party system of the need for a newbusiness.